Family Ties
by EF123
Summary: When an attack leaves Elizabeth injured will the McCord's be strong enough to support her?
**I don't own Madam Secretary.**

Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord sat in the car on the way home. She'd had a bad day. It started with Daisy and Matt bugging Blake, meaning he forget to tell her of an important meeting and when he finally remembered she was already five minutes late. Then Nadine had called in sick meaning she was missing a Chief of Staff. But to top it off she had missed her lunch with Henry. She was looking forward to going home and relaxing with her husband and children.

Suddenly, as the car was going down the road, an explosion erupted from the side of Elizabeth sending her car over; crashing upside down on the road. The secret service rushed to secure the scene and to see if the Secretary of State and her driver were alive.

Elizabeth was unconscious in the back of the car with blood pouring from her many injuries. The secret service was quick to call ambulances and secure the Secretary in an ambulance. Once inside the paramedics started to treat Elizabeth. They placed an oxygen mask over her face and splinted her leg.

The moment the ambulance pulled up to Georgetown University Medical Centre, the stretcher containing Elizabeth was pulled out and wheeled inside. Doctors quickly got Elizabeth assessed and they wheeled her into surgery.

Henry was sitting in the kitchen when he got the call. He rushed out the house leaving Stevie in charge. He couldn't help but think the worst. The secret service had told him that she was in the car that exploded and he knew from experience that people are killed by explosions a lot further away.

Once he pulled up to the hospital he was ushered into a private waiting area. Henry sat there unsure on whether his wife was dead or alive. He sat there silently pondering on if he said he loved her this morning.

Henry couldn't imagine life without Elizabeth. He loved her. He had three children with her. Now he had no idea if he would see her again.

Two hours later a doctor finally emerged. "Doctor McCord."

"How is she?" Henry was quick to ask the question.

"She is in surgery now." The doctor replied, "In the explosion one of her ribs broke puncturing her lung and another tore the pulmonary artery." The doctor paused for a moment giving Henry time to process this "She has a lot of internal bleeding and a compound fracture to the right leg." The doctor returned to the operating room leaving Henry alone.

It wasn't long until members of Elizabeth's staff arrived. They all had the same glum look on their faces. Silently, every person in the waiting room sat. No one dared say a word until they knew their boss and friend was alive and going to be okay.

Another four hours passed until the doctor came and told everyone that Elizabeth was out of surgery. Only Henry was allowed in too see Elizabeth so everybody left.

As Henry approached the ICU he began to prepare himself for what was to come. But what he saw shocked him. His beautiful, powerful wife lying in a hospital bed with a tube down her throat and her eyes closed.

Henry walked over to the bed, grabbing the nearest chair he sat and clutched onto Elizabeth's hand. She looked so pale. Her face had many cuts and a gauze just above her eye. Henry looked down at his wife; she had never seemed so vulnerable.

His blood began to boil. The thought that someone did this to Elizabeth. Someone intentionally blew up her car. Someone nearly killed her. It was almost too much for Henry to bear, but he had to be strong for the kids and Elizabeth.

It had been four hours and Henry hadn't left Elizabeth's side. He couldn't leave her until she woke up.

He took another look at her. She had her right leg propped up on some pillows. Her golden blonde hair was fanned out against the pillow. Her arm had an IV line snaked around it. However the thing that scared Henry the most was the fact that Henry couldn't see his wife's bright blue eyes.

Elizabeth was a stubborn person. Henry loved that about her but the sight of her lying in that bed made him hate himself. He knew he should have stopped her taking that job. He knew he should have protected her. Yet in the back of his mind he knew she wouldn't have listened to him. She was too loyal to her country and the President.

The children had asked to come down but Henry knew Jason was too young and Alison would just have a breakdown if she saw her mother like this. Although Stevie was older and stronger he wanted to be alone with his wife. He needed to be able to cry whilst she slept and not have to worry about what his children would see.

The next morning the ventilator was removed from Elizabeth's mouth and replaced with a nasal cannula. Henry was grateful that his wife's condition was improving. He could see that some colour had come back to her face.

Henry held her hand watching as she slept. He couldn't help but think she looked peaceful. His stomach started to churn he knew she had no idea how much pain she would be in when she woke up.

Henry shook his head. He couldn't think like that he had to just be there for her and watch over her. Henry held back the tears threatening to spill and just sat silently, guarding his wife.

Later that afternoon, Henry was sat holding Elizabeth's hand. Suddenly he felt her squeeze back. Henry shot up and spoke softly "Come on baby open your eyes for me." After a few moments Elizabeth's eyes opened slowly. Henry let the breath; he didn't know he was holding, go. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

It took a few moments but Elizabeth finally answered, "I'm fine." Her voice was barely above a whisper but Henry didn't care. He was just happy that his wife was awake and able to talk to him.

"Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll go get the kids?" Henry whispered. He didn't want to make the headache Elizabeth probably had any worst. Elizabeth tried to answer but before she could she was already falling asleep.

Henry sat with his wife until he was certain she was asleep. Then he slowly moved from the chair and left the room quietly so he didn't disturb her. Before he walked down the hospital corridor Henry glanced into his Elizabeth's room relieved to see he hadn't woken her.

The moment Henry walked through the front door he was thrown into a hug by Alison. Jason and Stevie soon followed. Henry pulled away from the children only then seeing that they were eager to see their mother.

Stevie moved towards her father and quietly spoke. "How's mom?"

"She's awake." He replied. Henry watched as the kids hugged each other. "I came here to get you; so go get ready and we can go see mom." Everyone hurried off to get ready and within a few minutes they had left.

Once they arrived at the hospital Henry showed the kids to Elizabeth's room. They were allowed in under strict instructions to be calm and quiet.

The moment everyone was in the room Alison took the chair closest to her mother, Jason sat next to Alison and Stevie sat on the bed. After Henry made sure everyone was seated he woke Elizabeth.

It took a few minutes but Elizabeth slowly woke up. The moment she saw her mother was awake, Alison took Elizabeth's hand in hers. Elizabeth could see the tears in her youngest daughters eyes and let her own slip.

Henry saw this and stepped in not wanting his wife to get too upset. "We'd better go it's a school night and I'm sure you all have homework." Henry told the kids.

Stevie then spoke for the first time since seeing her mother "Dad do you mind if I stay; I have no classes tomorrow?" Henry could see that Stevie wanted to speak to her mother in private so agreed.

After Jason and Alison had given their goodbyes Henry walked up to Elizabeth bending down to kiss his wife's forehead and telling her he would be back in the morning. He then told Stevie not to stay too late because her mother needed to rest.

The moment everybody had left Stevie moved off the bed and took the seat Alison had vacated. She could see her mother trying to put on a brave face yet still seeing the pain in her eyes.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." Stevie spoke. "I have been so hard on you lately but you were only doing your job." Elizabeth took her eldest daughter's hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. "When dad told me what had happened I thought I would never see you again."

"Stevie, it's not your fault." Elizabeth spoke trying to hold back her tears.

"I know but I could have lost you." Stevie replied.

"You should know by now I'm tougher than that." Elizabeth told her daughter. Stevie could see her mother was getting tired and decided to leave. She got up and kissed Elizabeth goodbye then left.

When Stevie arrived home her father was serving up dinner. Once everyone was seated Jason asked his father a question no one had dared to ask before. "Dad, do you know when mom is coming home?"

Everybody looked up from their food and at Henry. "Mom will be home when her injuries are not as serious." Henry was trying not to scare the kids.

"What does that mean?" Alison asked.

"It means that if mom develops an infection or has complications it is more likely to happen in a certain time period." Henry explained.

"Does that mean that it will be a while?" Jason questioned.

"No, most likely a week." Henry reassured the kids. "But when mom does come home she will still be in a lot of pain and struggling to move around with her leg so we will have to help her a lot."

"How do we do that?" Jason asked. "I mean other than bringing her things or putting things away."

"You could help mom out in many ways." Henry told them. "For example tidying up after yourselves and not leaving things on the floor because of the crutches she will most likely be using." Henry paused for a moment then continued. "Not disturbing me if I'm helping mom up the stairs or onto the sofa and being quiet when she is asleep."

"We could also ask Stevie to help us with our homework if we are stuck instead of you or mom so that you can help mom." Jason added.

"We could cook more instead of dad." Alison continued.

"We could not bicker as much." Stevie hinted at her younger siblings.

Henry watched on as his children listed ways to help their mother out. He couldn't believe how well they were handling the situation. He was relieved to find them trying to get back to normal.

After dinner everyone went to their rooms leaving Henry to clean up the kitchen. Once he was done Henry went upstairs and climbed into bed. Henry rolled over onto Elizabeth's side of the bed.

The next morning Henry got up and fixed the children breakfast before leaving early to see Elizabeth. He was working today but didn't want to leave Elizabeth alone all day.

When Henry walked into Elizabeth's room he found her asleep. He walked in and got settled in the chair next to her bed before waking her. Elizabeth slowly woke up and a smile formed on her face when she saw her husband.

Henry kissed his wife's forehead. He then spoke softly to her. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Henry took hold of Elizabeth's hand. Henry could see the colour had come back to Elizabeth's face and she was not falling asleep as easily.

"My ribs and leg are a little painful." She replied. However, when she saw Henry begin to panic that she was in a lot of pain she quickly continued. "But I feel fine." She saw the relief wash over her husband's face.

It had been a long night for Elizabeth with her not being able to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Also the nurses kept coming in to monitor her and check her vitals. Elizabeth had missed Henry and the kids and wanted to go home. She wanted to sit on the sofa in her husband's arms and watch a movie with her family or play a game. But she was stuck in a hospital bed barely able to move without wincing in pain.

Henry leaned closer to his wife to speak to her. "It won't be long until you can come home." He was trying to cheer Elizabeth up. He knew she hated hospitals and he understood that she wanted to be in her own home.

Elizabeth nodded then answered. "Yeah, the doctor said about a week." She paused for a moment then continued. "I want to go home and be with you and the kids." Elizabeth let the tears she was holding back go.

Henry hated seeing Elizabeth like this. "Hey, it'll be alright." He cupped her cheek with his hand. "You'll be home in a few days." Elizabeth calmed down and Henry smiled at her. "I'd better go I've got a class." Elizabeth nodded and Henry stood up and kissed her forehead before leaving.

Later that afternoon Elizabeth was lying in bed, reading a book when there was a knock at the door. She set her book aside and looked up to see the President. President Dalton walked in with a vase of flowers and set them on the table next to Elizabeth. He then took a seat next to her.

"Hey Bess." The President smiled and took his friends hand in his.

"Conrad, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth spoke "I thought you would be running the country."

The President smiled at Elizabeth's bluntness. "I wanted to see how you are doing."

Elizabeth smiled at the thoughtfulness her boss had shown. "You really didn't have to do that."

"There is another reason I came here." The President admitted. Elizabeth nodded, signaling him to continue. "When you get out of here I don't want to see you back at work until Henry tells me you're in no pain and are used to getting around on that leg which he says will be 6-8 weeks."

Elizabeth could hear the seriousness in her boss's voice so agreed. After they talked for a while President Dalton left.

4 days later Henry walked into the hospital room to find Elizabeth sat on the end of the bed. He smiled and told her "I have signed all the forms you are free to go."

Elizabeth smiled back and replied. "Let's go then." Henry passed his wife her crutches and helped her off the bed. He then grabbed her bag and they headed home.

The moment they arrived home Henry walked Elizabeth to the sofa and helped her sit down. Then Henry left the room and came back with a glass of water and her pain meds. "Henry, I don't need to take them I'm fine." Elizabeth told him.

"Yes you do because I can see that every time you move you wince." Henry replied. Elizabeth reluctantly took the pills and Henry sat next to her. He put his arm around her and she settled into his embrace.

A few hours later Stevie, Alison and Jason arrived home. Henry had told them their mother was probably coming home today but that she might have to stay an extra few days. When they saw their parents sat on the sofa they rushed to their mother.

Alison sat on the other side of Elizabeth, whilst Jason sat next to his father and Stevie sat on the coffee table in front of her mother.

Alison leaned on her mother's arm and Elizabeth rested her head on her youngest daughter's head. Henry looked over and smiled when he saw his family together. He was grateful they had the chance to be together after everything that had happened.

After a while Henry could see Elizabeth was tired from her pain meds and decided to take her to bed. He handed her the crutches and helped his wife to her feet. He then guided her to the stairs. Elizabeth tried to climb the stairs but winced as she took the first step. Henry saw this and picked her up. He carried her to their room and put her on the bed. Then he grabbed her pajamas and helped her change into them. Once that was done he helped her into the bed. As soon as he saw his wife was asleep he went down stairs as quietly as he could.

When he was down stairs Henry saw his kids sat in the same positions they had been in before he took Elizabeth upstairs. They all had the same looks on their faces. Henry knew the fact that he had carried Elizabeth upstairs had frightened them. He walked over to where they were sat and calmly spoke to them. "Hey why do you look so worried?"

Stevie quietly answered "You had to carry mom up the stairs."

Henry could see the hurt in his daughter's eyes. He replied by softly saying "That is just because her leg and ribs are giving her a lot of pain and it is easier and less painful if I carry her." Henry paused for a moment then continued. "Remember as well she only got home today and she spent the last week in bed."

Henry watched as his children moved from their seats. Alison and Jason went to do homework and Stevie went to start dinner. Henry decided it was the perfect time to go and check on Elizabeth.

He quietly walked up the stairs and when he reached the door he silently opened it. Elizabeth was still asleep and Henry was satisfied that his wife would stay sleeping until dinner was ready he walked back down the stairs and into his office to do work.

Whilst he was working Henry turned on the news and listened to what was going on in the world. Normally Elizabeth would tell Henry what was going on in the world and since her attack she had not been told anything. Also the news had been covering the recent attack on the United States Secretary of State. This was the first time that Henry had heard about war torn countries and issues in the US.

As Henry listened he began to think that his wife was involved in most of these conflicts on some level. He began to regret every argument he had with her over what her job was. Then Henry began to think of the effect this had on his children which made him think he needed to try and keep the peace for his family, even if that meant keeping his mouth shut when he was angry at someone.

Henry's train of thought was stopped by Elizabeth coming down the stairs slowly. Immediately, he got up a walked over to his wife. "What are you doing up?" Henry asked walking her to the couch.

"I decided I wanted to be down stairs with my family." She replied with a sly grin. The moment Henry saw her smile at her words he picked her up and carried her over to the couch. Once he had put her down he began to taunt her, not hearing Stevie walk in form the kitchen.

The moment Stevie saw her dad annoying her mum she launched onto him. Jason and Alison had heard the commotion from upstairs and rushed to see what was going on. They arrived just in time to see Stevie attack their father. Quickly, they rushed to join in and before they knew it Henry was pinned down to the floor.

Elizabeth watched her family and couldn't help but let a smile form on her lips which soon lead to laughter. After a while she told her children to get off her husband. As soon as they did they ran off with Henry chasing them.

Once she was alone Elizabeth picked up her book from the coffee table and leaned back into the couch, with her crutches leaning against the arm of the chair.

When Henry had caught his all of his children and tickled them until they apologized he walked back over to his wife. He sat down next to her saying "When did it I become a wrestler."

Elizabeth placed her book down and replied. "When our children heard you winding me up." She moved closer to him leaning in for a kiss. They broke apart when they hears their children coming down the stairs. "Hey guys, what's up?" Elizabeth asked.

"Just wanted to make sure dad was behaving and not annoying you." Stevie replied. This made Elizabeth laugh and she looked over to Henry who had a look of anger on his face.

"Guess that means you have to behave." Spoke Elizabeth. Henry then got up and walked to his office, which made everyone laugh at him. Elizabeth enjoyed the moments when her family could forget about the world and be like they used to be before she took the job as Secretary of State.

 **Hope you enjoyed this. I had written this a while ago and wanted to upload it once it was all finished. Reviews are welcome.**


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